Bush's Talk About
Spending Discipline
Is So Much Hot Air

WASHINGTON -- For a moment last week, President Bush reminded me of Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, the Iraqi information minister who became a favorite of late-night comics for his brazen denial of reality.

Mr. Bush, in a speech in Kansas City outlining his economic plans, assumed a look of steely determination in saying the following: "I have proposed a 4% increase in discretionary spending for this year's budget. It's about equal to the increase of the average family budget. If it's good enough for American families, it...